By Paul Singh
In Bulgaria, nearly 100 acres of land have been burned by wildfires near Pirin Mountain, which is on the border with Greece, spreading to nearby towns and villages, like Simitli and Strumyani, close to the North Macedonia border, Rani Lug, close to the border with Serbia, and Kozarevo, near the border with Turkey.
More than 400 residents evacuated from the village of Ploski near the western border of the country. Novinite, a news agency from Sofia, Bulgaria, states that the evacuation was triggered by hurricane-force winds and heavy smoke covering the area.
A large number of firefighters have been deployed to put out these fires. According to Reuters, Bulgaria sent more than 200 firefighters but were pulled out because their lives were in danger.
Around 900,000ЛB or Bulgarian Lev, which is equivalent $532,500 or approximately ₩744,944,314, have been allocated to families affected by the wildfires, with applications for 1,914 to 3,000ЛB, adding up to nearly 5,000ЛB per family, according to The Sofia Globe.
Helicopters are ready to aid the fires. European Newsroom states that six Bulgarian Air Force helicopters will be available to combat wildfires this year, double the amount of last year, the Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov announced.
Romania is sending their Blackhawk helicopter to Bulgaria to help with the fiery situation, taking off from the military base in Bucharest making its first official military operation, Novinite reports.
Fire crews from three European Union countries have arrived to aid Bulgaria to combat these spreading wildfires. According to the Bulgaria News Agency, “On Sunday, three crews arrived from France, Slovakia, and Hungary. ‘Last night, they were briefed on the situation in the country. They have declared their readiness to work and we hope they will be in the air within an hour,’ the Deputy Minister said.”
Arson is one of the causes for the blazes. Two suspects have been arrested and are being charged with terrorism, with one of them suspected of lighting a fire in Veliko Tarnovo, while the other one is suspected of doing the same in Sliven, Novinite reports.
One of the arson suspects has been identified as 33-year old Stoyan Denchev.
According to Novinite, “Stoyan Denchev, the 33-year-old man accused of setting a fire in Veliko Tarnovo, will remain in custody, following a ruling by the Sofia City Court. He faces terrorism charges, with prosecutors arguing that his actions were deliberate and intended to cause fear and public unrest. The court upheld the accusation, stating that the evidence supported a serious risk to public safety and justified the most severe measure of detention.”
Denchev has two prior convictions, one is from drug possession and the other one is for anti-social behavior, according to Novinite.
His defense attorney, Simeon Tapov, said there was “insufficient” evidence to charge Denchev with terrorism, and that he tried to put out the fire, which surveillance video shows. Denchev also claimed he would not light anymore fires or leave in exchange for a lighter sentence.
Not only is Bulgaria struggling to fight the wildfires, but Turkey is struggling as well.
France24 reports, “There have been at least 14 deaths in the past week in Turkey and about 20 villages have been evacuated, according to officials.”
In Bursa and other cities in Turkey, more than 3,000 hectares of land in the northeast were destroyed with 3,500 residents being evacuated.
The fires have caused casualties. “A firefighter died from a heart attack while on the job, said Bursa’s mayor, Mustafa Bozbey, adding that the blaze had scorched more than 7,400 acres around the city. Another person was killed and two seriously injured when a water tanker fell into a ravine outside Bursa, local media reported,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
Kosovo, Greece, Albania and Montenegro also have been affected by the fires.
In Bulgaria, now there are plans for preparations for next year. Bulgaria News Agency reports that there will be an increase in funding for more helicopters in 2026, because experience shows they are better for mountainous terrain.
In addition to arson, other causes of wildfires in general are caused by humans. The Bulgarian News Agency states, “About 90% of wildfires in Bulgaria are caused by human error and negligence, said the Interior Ministry Secretary General, Chief Commissioner Miroslav Rashkov.”
According to the World Wildlife Fund, the world`s leading conservation organization, “In most cases, fires don’t begin in forests themselves. Over 80% are thought to start in
agricultural land or pastures, before spreading into nearby woodlands.”
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